Under the African Sun
by Anki-Shai
Summary: Some people think romance is dead, Gloria doesn't think so and Melman is just there to confirm her thoughts about it. Melman/Gloria


**Disclaimer: **Madagascar belongs to Dreamworks. I'm merely having fun with some of its characters.

**AN: **This is my first story on this fandom and it was specially made for a dear friend of mine in deviantart AlexFanatic10. I really hope you like it and it's what you were waiting for.

Now, don't forget to review your opinion is really important to me.

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><p><strong>Under the African Sun<strong>

The warm sun of the African plain touched her face in the softest caress, making her stretched out under it. Her night had been wonderful, filled with dreams of different nature all of them conducing to the same vision.

Melman and their date for the afternoon.

It had been almost a week since those crazy penguins planed the wedding for their leader. A little creepy if you ask her. And it had taken that long for Melman to ask her out formally.

Gloria was thinking of just lazing there in the watering hole when suddenly her nose caught the delicious smell of fresh flowers and …

"No way!" Gloria stood up almost immediately and there, above a rock near where she had been resting was a wonderful sight.

There was a buck of white flowers tied up with a red liana beside a big leaf filled with warm toasts. Gloria neared the wonderful breakfast and flowers, looking around in wonder as to who had done this. More importantly why and how the hell did they get toasts?

Her answer was there in the form of a note written over the stone:

_Dear Gloria,_

_I thank whoever is up there for giving me the pleasure to share the beautiful morning in the African plains with you. _

_I know these aren't orchids, but I do hope you like this white flowers just the same. The breakfast is the courtesy of our thief and kind of lunatic penguin friends that apparently found a safari near the borders of the reserve._

_All of this is just a little proof of how beautiful and special you are for me. _

_Until later._

_With Love,_

_Melman_

Gloria re-read the note over and over, a soft girly smile forming on her face. "And they said romance is dead."

"Oh, my, Gloria! What's all of these?" Exclaimed Abla, another female Hippo that appeared just behind her.

Gloria smiled. "Well, do you remember Melman?"

"The hypochondriac giraffe?" Gloria rolled her eyes, nodding her head. If she was honest, Melman had stopped being that…hypochondriac since he became the doctor of the Reserve.

"Wow, girl, you do have luck with men, eh?" said Abla a little jealous. "I mean, first Moto-Moto and now this cute giraffe."

"Hey, what happen with him being hypochondriac?"

Abla looked at her with sly eyes, "I never said he wasn't cute."

Gloria was left there enjoying her breakfast and thinking over Abla's words. Melman was cute and not only that, he knew her so well and was ready to do anything to just please her. She was really lucky and now it was up to her to make him feel special.

Melman was watching with a critic eye the supposedly deadly wound Private had. The penguin was looking around nervously holding a spot at his side with something red coming from it.

"And, you said this was…a shot gun?" Private nodded his head.

"Yes, totally shot gun. I have to run for my life." He said in a pretty normal voice. Seeing as Melman raised an eyebrow a little skeptical, he panic so he started coughing rather dramatically.

"See? I'm gonna die!" he coughed again looking back at Melman with narrow eyes.

Melman closed his eyes and sighed exasperate. Usually, when the penguins started acting strange it only meant troubles for all of them. Last time they had tried to open up a Casino which ended up in a complete disaster with the Monkeys and the Lemurs into a pretty nasty fight.

Of course, King Julian didn't help but instead tried to make the discussion even worse.

Now, looking at Private with his supposedly ´shot gun 'wound Melman had to wonder: what had they done at the human safari?

He really didn't have time to find out. Not if he wanted to keep planning his date with Gloria. A soft, goofy smile appeared on Melman's face as he thought about the female hippo. He looked up at the sky and wonder if she had already woken up and seen the surprise he left for her.

Shaking his head he looked down and decided to stop this nonsense once and for all. "Look, Private." The penguin looked up at Melman before looking around. "I know you have some kind of red thing there. It can be ketchup, or those red fruits that are highly potions, I don't really know. But I do have more 'real' patients and I would like to finish before lunch."

"How dare you say this isn't real?" This little outburst made Private leave out in the open the lack of a wound and the stains of the red fruits Melman was talking about. The little penguin looked at Melman, then at his side, then back and Melman before running away.

Melman rolled his eyes and was about to make his next patient come when someone behind him cleared her throat. He turned around only to see Gloria smiling at him, one of the white flowers around her ear and her arms behind her back.

"Hello there, Melman."

"G-Gloria!" Melman looked at her with a slight blush on his face. "How…how was your night?"

He almost kicked himself. He was acting like a fool, but to be honest he thought he would have more time before speaking with her. To maybe prepare a speech or something.

"Sorry about that, I told Kowalski to find you and hold you until I could get here." Gloria rolled her eyes shaking her head. "But you know them; they can be a little…"

"Extremist?" ventured Melman smiling at Gloria who smiled back.

"Yes."

There was a moment of silence in which neither of them knew what to do or say. Gloria remembered why she was there and moved forward. "Melman, I want to thank you for this morning."

Melman looked embarrassed and tried to not look directly at Gloria as he nodded his head. "It was nothing…nothing is ever enough…for you."

He almost whispered, this time making Gloria flustered lightly as he looked directly into her eyes. She smiled shyly, something totally alien to her, but it only made Melman smiled more confidently.

"So, you like it?"

"Like it? I love it, Melman. No one has ever done such a sweet thing for me." She couldn't stop smiling even after she noticed how closed they were.

"Well, you deserve it and you …you are totally worthy."

"You're so sweet, Melman. And you're also totally worthy." Gloria put her hands from behind to show Melman two baskets filled with some kind of fruit. "I was asking around something nutritious, healthy and tasty and many of the monkeys and other giraffes point to this fruit."

Melman's eyes opened wide as Gloria put the baskets above his rock desk. "I found out the safou, the violet one, It's quite good and works as an antibiotic. The yellow one it's good for nutritious properties and…"

Whatever else Gloria was about to say was cut short as Melman, in a moment of bravery, leaned forward to kiss her. It was merely a lip-to-lip contact. Nothing serious but it was enough to leave the both of them shocked and speechless.

Both of them were quite flustered after the small kiss was over. Neither could look at other thing that wasn't the eyes in front of them. For a few seconds there was silence and, apparently, this was all they need.

"Hey! Either you give me one of those or you start this appointment! I don't have all day!"

This little outburst from a pretty annoyed giraffe cut short whatever Gloria and Melman were doing. Both were looking wuite flustered as they tried to act normal.

"So, yes. Right…thanks again"

"Yeah, you..you too."

Gloria was backing away until her back hit a tree. She chuckled nervously and was about to turn when Melman stopped her. "Gloria?"

"Yes?"

"I…see you in the afternoon?" Melman was looking at her hopefully with the same shy smile he always dedicated to her. Gloria nodded her head returning that smile with one of her on.

"Yes, definitely, this will give us a change to continue what we start here." She replied winking at Melman and leaving.

Melman smile pleased and turned his attention to the patient while Gloria was making her way to visit Marty and Alex.

Yes, romance wasn't as death as she thought. And here under the African plains it seemed even more effective.

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><p>So, how was it? You gotta love those pinguins, I really love just how crazy they can be.<p> 


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